6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE SmackDown (9 Jan - Results & Review)

2. Another Competitive Winner For Melo

Carmelo Hayes Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

"I've got to admit it's getting better, a little better all the time". That lyric from The Beatles fits here when talking about one Carmelo Hayes and his fortunes on WWE's main roster. This week, Hayes beat Shinsuke Nakamura to defend his United States Title, and it was another overwhelmingly good night for the reigning, born again babyface champ.

The best thing about Melo’s matches already is that he lays out and lets opponents take some control. That helps in bouts like this when the challenger is realistically never winning. Selling is important for any face champion, and Hayes seems to understand how to put some sympathy on his name and how to rally fans in his corner. Yep, there's real potential in this title reign if WWE can move on from the ‘Open Challenges’ and give him a featured feud.

For now, Naka is ideal for spots like this one. He can take losses without dropping full credibility with fans, basically. There were some comments on socials after the show about Carmelo continuing to hit his biggest moves despite selling a wounded knee, but this fan doesn’t have a problem with that. The dude was still limping, grimacing, holding the knee and selling through it all. It isn't like he suddenly stopped favouring the injured wheel.

Sami Zayn brought back the 'Open Challenges', Ilja Dragunov continued the trend, and now Melo is doing the same. These bouts are a credit to SmackDown every single week. Marry them with a proper rivalry for Hayes and things will be even better.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.